AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH OPPOSITION DELEGATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIBREVILLE 000228

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS
KINSHASA PASS BRAZZAVILLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV GB
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH OPPOSITION DELEGATION

REF: A. 05 LIBREVILLE 0991


B. LIBREVILLE 0186

Classified By: POLITICAL OFFICER GLENN FEDZER FOR REASON 1.4 (B)


1. (C) The Ambassador met six opposition leaders at the
Residence April 4 to discuss their grievances against the
GoG. The delegation included Zacharie Myboto, Gabonese Union
for Democracy and Development (UGDD),Jules Aristide Bourdes
Ogoulinguende, Congress for Democracy and Justice (CDJ),Dr.
Leon Mbou Yembi, African Forum for Reconstruction (FAR),
Mouanga Mbadinga, Movement for the Socialist Emancipation of
the People (MESP),Jean Manuel Malolas, Republican Union for
Democracy and Progress (URDP),and Gilles Andzang Mefane,
Gabonese Socialist Party (PSG). The six leaders have also
arranged meetings with the EU ambassadors (as a group) and
the Canadian and South African ambassadors. The opposition
politicians are asking that the diplomatic missions assist
them in securing a group meeting with President Bongo.


2. (C) During the two-hour meeting on April 4, the group
reiterated long-standing opposition claims that "structural
flaws" in the electoral system give the government a
preponderant and unfair advantage during elections.
According to them, the flaws include:

--Inflated and inaccurate electoral rolls. They claim this
allows Bongo partisans to vote more than once by making the
rounds of different polling stations. To illustrate their
point, the opposition presented the Ambassador three voting
cards carrying the same name, occupation and birthdate, --
but each with a different precinct. The opposition seek to
scrap the current rolls and start from scratch.

--Separate color-coded ballots for each candidate. According
to the opposition, this facilitates ballot-box stuffing and
limits ballot secrecy; they seek a single ballot.

--The refusal to provide official copies of individual
polling station results to the opposition. The absence of a
"parallel vote count" limits their challenging the final
totals announced by the Ministry of the Interior.


3. (C) In addition, the opposition members complained about
what they see to be the unfettered use of state assets for
the ruling party's campaign, the bias of the
government-controlled media, and legal barriers that prevent
opposition parties from holding political events. (Comment:
Embassy's observation of the November 2005 Presidential
elections (Ref A),suggests these complaints may have merit.
End comment.) Myboto says, however, that there is sufficient
time before legislative elections scheduled for December 2006
to resolve these matters if Bongo and the ruling PDG can be
convinced to institute reforms.


4. (U) The opposition leaders asserted that these issues
have been raised repeatedly during the years since Gabon
became a multiparty democracy, including in the months before
the presidential election in November 2005 (Ref A). The
opposition leaders allege that before the election, Bongo
gave his "word of honor" to discuss the issues, and that the
government committed to addressing them after the
presidential election. The opposition has for the past
several weeks been requesting a group meeting of all
political parties with President Bongo; the government in
response has offered instead to arrange meetings for
individual party leaders with the president, one at a time.
The opposition parties have refused such meetings, feeling
they will be more of a force as a group. The party leaders
asked the Ambassador to intervene with Bongo to help arrange
a group meeting.


5. (C) Noticeably absent from the April 4 meeting was a
representative of the Union of Gabonese People (UPG),whose
president, Pierre Mamboundou, remains in refuge in the South
African Embassy (Ref B). A UGDD party activist said
Mamboundou, while supportive of the other leaders in
principle, asserts he is "the rightful President of Gabon"
and thus cannot participate in joint actions with
"opposition" leaders. Also missing was Gabonese Progressive
Party (PGP) President, and Port Gentil mayor, Seraphim Ndaot.
Ndaot, a wealthy entrepreneur and popular mayor, was
elevated to the party presidency on the death in 2005 of his
predecessor, long-time opposition figure Pierre Louie Agondjo
Okawe. Ndaot has studiously avoided national politics so
far, focusing his attention instead on his duties in Port
Gentil.


6. (C) Comment. Ordinary citizens and union leaders are
increasingly asserting that the current cadre of Gabonese
politicians, including the opposition members at the April 4
meeting, are "not living in the same world" with them and are
out of touch with the populace. The French-educated
opposition leaders are of the same generation, have similar
backgrounds, and frequently share family relations with their
opponents in the ruling party of President Bongo. We suspect
that, even with a relatively level playing field, Bongo has
the resources and political skills to outmaneuver this
current group of opponents (one reason the parties are
seeking a group meeting rather than separate meetings). The
Embassy will, of course, continue to work with all Gabonese
to promote democratic change. A level playing field may not
help the current opposition, but is essential if Gabon is
going to transition peacefully into the post-Bongo era.
WALKLEY